Today's Update From The Waugh Zone Is Titled `HORROR IN NICE'

* Paul Waugh

by Paul Waugh

The sheer horror of the Nice terror attack is difficult to comprehend. Families in shorts and t-shirts, gathered for the Bastille Day fireworks, mown down over two kilometres by a white lorry packed with guns and grenades. The death toll is currently 84 but is sure to rise with more in a critical condition.

Nice Matin journalist Damien Allemand wrote: “An enormous white truck came along at a crazy speed, turning the wheel to mow down the maximum number of people. I saw bodies flying like bowling pins along its route. Heard noises, cries that I will never forget.” A pink girl's bicycle was briefly seen overturned by the side of the road. Our colleagues on HuffPost France report how children were among those murdered.

Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson tweeted that he was “shocked and saddened” by the attack. No.10 has put out a statement: “The Prime Minister is being kept updated on reports coming in from Nice. Our thoughts are with all those affected by this terrible incident on what was a day of national celebration.”

Theresa May is due in Scotland for her first engagement as Prime Minister but if it goes ahead it will be an altogether more sombre affair. It is unclear yet if she will chair an emergency Cobra meeting before her visit. On days like today, all her reserves of experience as former Home Secretary will mean she can swiftly assess the situation and authorise the necessary response.

* Paul Waugh Is The Executive Editor, HuffPost, UK.